John Adams Institute events start with an inspiring talk, continue in discussion, and include questions from the public. Our talks are hosted at venues throughout Amsterdam and our specially selected moderators ensure enriching and thought-provoking evenings.
Race, Class and Feminism in America (SOLD OUT)
Critic and memoirist Margo Jefferson on what it means to belong
Oct 04, 2023, 8:00 pm -
10:00 pm,
De Balie, Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, Amsterdam
“We know that race is a construction. We also know that race is a construction site we’re not going to be leaving anytime soon. What are we to do with our multiple selves, conjoined here, crosswired there?” Since the 1970’s, Margo Jefferson has commented on and interpreted contemporary American life. She has done so as …
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie G. Bunch III
Living with history: A people’s journey, a nation’s story
Oct 18, 2023, 8:00 pm -
10:00 pm,
Singelkerk, Singel 452, Amsterdam
“Museums have a social justice role to play. Cultural institutions need to be as much about today and tomorrow as they are about yesterday. This may just be a time of transformation.” Lonnie G. Bunch III is the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the highest position of leadership within the world’s largest museum, education, …
The Ministry for the Future (Sold Out)
Kim Stanley Robinson and the Fight for Planet Earth
Nov 08, 2023, 8:00 pm -
10:00 pm,
De Duif, Prinsengracht 756, Amsterdam
“In the twenty-first century it became clear that the planet was incapable of sustaining everyone alive at Western levels, and at that point the richest pulled away into their fortress mansions and bolted their doors to wait it out until some poorly theorized better time… beyond that, après moi le déluge.” Uniting science and politics, …
Walter Isaacson on Elon Musk
Innovation and the Demons that Drive it
Nov 24, 2023, 8:00 pm -
10:00 pm,
Dominicuskerk, Korte Korsjespoortsteeg, Amsterdam
Isaacson’s latest inside story is filled with tales of triumph and turmoil, and addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress? Walter Isaacson is the bestselling biographer of the likes of Steve Jobs, Henry Kissinger, and Jennifer Doudna. Throughout his career he has served as …
Miriam Toews
On Film and Literature
Nov 28, 2023, 8:00 pm -
10:00 pm,
De Brakke Grond, Nes 45, Amsterdam
Miriam Toews is the award-winning author of nine books, including Women Talking, which won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay at the 2023 Academy Awards, and All My Puny Sorrows. Known for her light, oftentimes humorous touch, Toews finds moments of brightness and humanity in even the darkest of narratives. Her latest novel, Fight Night, …
